Posted on 01/30/2013 6:44:29 PM PST by Former Fetus
SUMTER, SC (WIS) -
"You can fire it as many times as you want, it won't come out" said 6-year-old Naomi McKinney. "It's duct taped because it's broken."
McKinney took her brother's air soft gun to school January 4th. The school kept it.
"It was broken and I just wanted to show my friends it" McKinney said.
She never got that far at Alice Drive Elementary.
"I told Ms. Frye that I had the gun and she took it from my hand," said McKinney. McKinney was taken to the office and police were called.
Her father, Hank McKinney, admits some fault.
"I'll take some of the responsibility because I never had that talk with her," he said. "We don't check her. I didn't check her bag that morning."
But he feels the district's zero tolerance policy goes too far to not take into consideration the gun was just a toy.
"Maybe they can do these things case by case, instead of one size fits all," said McKinney.
District policy says it will expel any student who brings a weapon to school. A weapon means a firearm.
The district would only give us this statement: "The presence of a weapon or look alike is not allowed, and we work very closely with law enforcement when an incident of this nature arises. Sumter School District takes any potential threat very seriously."
McKinney is on Administrative Homebased Services, meaning home schools. The State Department of Education says that's illegal.
"Homebound instruction in South Carolina is permissible only for medically necessary reasons with appropriate documentation from the child's physician," said J.W. Ragley with the state Department of Education. "School districts are not permitted to claim the additional funding that goes along with homebound instruction."
They're sending their own letter to the district. The McKinney's can hold her out until first grade, home school her, send her to a private school, or virtual public charter school. Hank McKinney doesn't want his daughter behind because of a toy gun.
"If she fails for a legitimate reason, yeah, hold her back," he said. "But not over something like this."
The McKinneys can appeal the ruling to the district board, and they say they plan to do that.
Naomi has been out of school for 30 days and has received no home instruction. Sumter Board of Trustees Chairman Keith Schultz told us the board is planning to review the district's weapon policy. They'll hear an appeal if the McKinneys file one.
I live in Sumter and was speechless this morning when I saw the story, front page in the local paper. What's happened to common sense?
In the comments, several people blame the parents for not checking her book bag before leaving for school. Say what? Are parents actually checking their kindergartners' bags every day, looking for "forbidden" items?
There is only one thing I would say to her parents: there are several private schools in Sumter, with a whole range of tuitions, and I'll bet that every one does a better job than the government school. So, take this as a warning and move your daughter to a private school!
Hey - I used to live in Sumter. Stationed at Shaw from 83-88.
It’s all about creating a culture that is not familiar with firearms, so they fear them, so they readily give them up.
It’s all about creating a culture that is not familiar with firearms, so they fear them, so they readily give them up.
My response, if I could, would be to immediately enroll my daughter into a private school or teach her at home and I’d take her to the range on weekends so she doesn’t fear firearms.
Then you probably know that the Alice Drive schools are considered the “best” in Sumter. Real estate agents advertise homes as “convenient to Alice Drive schools”. Sad thing is, Sumter has one of the best (private) schools in the State just a couple of miles away... awesome SATs, happy kids...
It’s about traumatizing children. Pavlov. If they could use a cattle prod they would.
Government actively encourages practices that are immoral and harmful to children but seeks to criminalize normal human behavior, even among the smallest children. Just look at the contrast shown in the video between this child (and her dad) and the public school official with the rule book in hand. Which one needs to be locked up for a long, long time?
About the only think I really remember about Sumter was the best bar in town. Mike’s Oyster Bar. Great beer, great food...Great folks and I always had an empty stool waiting for me. No matter how crowded. It was great. Lived in a nasty part of town....26 Shuler Street.
Could be the best thing that could happen to a six year old. Now home school him and teach him how to be a patriotic American man ... because that’s never going to happen in a public school.
“Academics” are very often the most narrow-minded, reactionary and petty people you will meet.
With what is going on with that school board in Sumter those parents need to enroll her in one of those private schools!
Apparently a working Airsoft gun can cause eye injuries. So it makes sense not to allow them at school. Expelling a 6 year-old for bringing it is of course over the top.
We have just about perfected stupidity!
Yes, with superintendent Randolph Bynum things are not going to improve any time soon! Google his name and be amazed!
This is child abuse, and these #ing predators can go to Hell.
Here’s what every parent should do... send their crumb crunchers to school with a toy gun. Let the school idiots expel all of them. It’d be the best thing that could happen for the kids’ education.
Taser = human cattle prod.
Wow, there are states that don’t ALLOW parents to home school?
exactly what I was about to post.
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